Claire Lomas was just another ordinary 32 year old British woman who loved horse riding and outdoor activities like many others. She was not famous nor was she a superstar athlete by any means. Until the day an accident changed her life forever.

5 years ago she was injured while horse riding and her spine was dislocated. She describes it as a freak accident that happened in a split second, leaving her devastated. Her doctors pronounced her a paraplegic, but Claire was not about to let that type of diagnosis stop her from living an inspired and full life.

Initially as she began the slow road to recovery, she would ask the “why me?” questions, then she finally realized she still had a life to live and she needed to give it some meaning.

Claire decided to get involved in cycling and racing to raise awareness and money for charity. She rode a bike which was hand-powered, all across the UK raising money through Vodafone’s ‘Just TextGiving’ and received plenty of media and celebrity attention. Her ride across England took her 22 days and raised just over $120 000 USD for Spinal Research. She cycled a total of 400 miles, which is nearly a marathon a day. wow!

Claire used the challenge to increase awareness of spinal injuries by cycling to schools, universities and workplaces in over a dozen different counties to give educational and motivational talks.

“I was fitting in school talks along the way and that was just brilliant. Seeing some of those children’s faces is what kept me going as well. When I was in hospital there were lots of people worse off than me. I have had amazing support since my accident but not everyone has got that so we need to find a cure for paralysis.”

But that wasn’t the only physical challenge she embarked on. Claire wanted to run in the London Marathon in April, and knew it would be no easy task. The motivating factor of raising money for Spinal Research kept her going and focused on her goal.

The marathon took her 16 days to complete, and it was made possible by a special ReWalk bionic suit which allowed to her stand upright and walk across the finish line. It is the first bionic suit that brings mobility to individuals with spinal cord injury. She raised just over $300 000 USD in that event, and it is clear to see she has plenty of support for her work, including former Spice Girl Mel C, and UK football legend Gary Lineker.

In 2012 Claire was involved in the lighting of the flame for the Paralympics and considers that a momentous step in her journey to inspiring other young paraplegic and disabled people.

“I had to rebuild my life and that’s the story I have been giving to the children.Sometimes, things go wrong in life and at the time it felt like the end of the world to me and I really felt like every door was slammed in my face and it was difficult and it was tough. But I give my message out to the kids that you’ve got to fight back and you get out there and make your own luck.”

“If I’d sat there and dwelled on everything I’d lost, I wouldn’t have had the best days of my life after my accident so you’ve just got to keep going when things are tough.”

Claire lives with her 2 year old daughter Maisie and husband Dan. She enjoys the quiet life they have together, but now understands her life has more meaning post-accident. We have the choice to make lemonade out of lemons, or we an let them sit in a corner and rot. We all get dealt cruel hands in life, it’s how we proceed that shows our true human spirit. When we share our tragedies and triumphs, we inspire others. Don’t let a bad situation get the most of you today, learn how to get that situation in a headlock and take control of your outcome.

We were lucky enough to chat to another inspirational disabled girl from the UK last year, Kayleigh Kirkham, who is using her disability as a means to show others that it is not the end of the world. She too defied doctors who said she would never walk again. If we listen to the negativity around us, we don’t get anywhere. If you choose to work hard and dig deep you will find that treasure from within.